/McSpotlight Update:/ Joseph McNeil is now into his 55th day of a hunger
strike outside and against the McDonald's on Bayfield Street, Barrie,
Ontario, Canada. He is demanding that McDonald's act within the law. It
has been reported that McDonald's response has been to ignore his
protest, and spread malicious rumours about Joseph. But some of the
local papers have begun to take up his story...

He is homeless, and was a regular customer at that McDonald's. He would
come in, buy something, and then hang around for an hour or so writing
poetry. As the employees did their rounds, they got to know him a
little. One day, one of the girls who works there asked him to bring
some poetry for her to take to a poetry class. When he gave it to her
(and before she had clocked in), the manager demanded the poems and read
through them. This is illegal. All Canadian citizens have a right to
their personal property, no matter if they are on their employer's
property or not. Joseph was then told to leave, but he refused, as the
privacy of both himself and the employee had been violated. He was then
arrested without incident by the police for "trespassing," and banned
from McDonald's.

He then began his hunger strike, insisting that McDonalds train its
management and employees about their rights as employees and Canadian
citizens. McDonald's has refused to do so. A manager then told him that
he could come back as a customer as long as he left 20 minutes after
making a purchase, and that he not write poetry while he is in the
restaurant.

These conditions are both ridiculous and insulting. I have visited that
McDonald's many times, and never have I been told to leave after 20
minutes. McNeil has continued his hunger strike, and as he did so, he
has been in the hospital twice. Managers at that McDonald's have
forbidden their employees from visiting McNeil in the hospital, even
while they are on their own time. This is outrageous. This is a clear
violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and fertile
ground for a lawsuit against McDonald's, if only their young employees
knew what a good chance they had at suing McDonald's, and collecting the
$10,000.00 maximum at Small Claims Court.

There is a chance you may think the whole affair is petty, but we are
talking about a man who has nothing. The cruelty and indifference of the
management of the Bayfield Street McDonald's is despicable, to say the
least. I have been making daily videos of him ever since I met him. You
can download them for free here: http://www.parxmedia.com/main.htm

You will need the free Quicktime player to play them. You can get it here:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html

Never mind the offer for Quicktime Pro at the right of the page, Get the
free player at the left of the page. Download the videos to your
desktop, open the Quicktime player, and then play the videos.

Joseph's poems can be found here:
http://rhymster.com/members/Joseph_McNeil/

A messageboard for you to leave a comment (you can post anonymously
using a false name if you like) is here:
http://www.parxmedia.com/mib.ASP

A long version of his story can be found here:
http://www.parxmedia.com/injustice.htm

Basically, this is the story of a suffering human being who was trying
to hang on to his portion of the human family by a thread. Cruel people
at McDonald's not only treated him terribly, but they illegally
prevented others from lending him emotional support. McDonald's also
lied to me and told me I was not permitted to make videos of McNeil.
When I make the videos, I do not stand on McDonald's property. I am
allowed to make the videos.

I have pleaded with Mr. McNeil to sue McDonald's instead, and to perhaps
begin eating and stay where he is and fight against McDonald's in that
way. But he is determined to starve himself to death unless his demands
are met.

I made the cards he hands out, since he doesn't have the strength to
explain himself numerous times. I don't want money, and I have nothing
to sell, but I would appreciate it if you were to visit McDonald's and
tell the manager that you are sickened by the idea of a private company
which believes it has the right to tell its employees that they are not
allowed to visit a man in hospital on their own time. Or, just let them
know you've viewed the videos.

Do we care nothing for our fellow man? Do we have no compassion for the
suffering, needs, loneliness and hurt of another human being? Does it
mean anything at all? Is it so wrong for another member of the human
family to be able to make a purchase, sit quietly and write some poetry,
and maybe enjoy a little companionship? What kind of monsters are we, if
we turn our backs on another, and leave him to die alone in the bush
like an insect? What good are we, if we ignore him when he stands before
us and offers his life? How much misery can anyone endure before they
move towards death?

If you have an address book with lots of other email addresses, feel
free to forward this letter to them all.

Thank you for your time, and thank you for trying to help Joseph McNeil.